The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) has issued a new policy paper presenting a forward-looking vision for the future of persons with disabilities in the context of recovery and reconstruction pathways in the Gaza Strip.
This paper comes within the framework of cooperation and partnerships with the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and Christian Aid, as part of partnership projects aimed at enhancing resilience and building the capacities of Palestinian civil society organizations.
The paper diagnoses the catastrophic impacts of the ongoing genocide war that began in October 2023 on the Gaza Strip, and provides an in-depth analysis of the structural shift in the demographic profile of disability in Gaza. With an estimated 25 % of total injuries (exceeding 41,844 cases) being severe and life-altering injuries, alongside the collapse of 94 % of the health system and damage to 95 % of schools, the paper urgently calls for the implementation of the "Build Back Better" approach. It further calls for working towards an integrated strategic framework to restructure systems towards justice and inclusion, and for transforming persons with disabilities from recipients of aid into active partners in reconstruction. Below is the executive summary of the paper:
This paper presents a strategic vision for the future of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip within the pathways of recovery and reconstruction, in the context of an unprecedentedly complex and catastrophic humanitarian reality resulting from the October 2023 war. The war has brought about a structural shift in the demographic profile of disability. According to estimates by the World Health Organization -WHO, approximately 25 % of all injuries, exceeding 41,844 cases, are severe and life-altering injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation. This places society before the challenge of a structural surge in demand for specialized services at a time when 94 % of the health system has collapsed and key rehabilitation centres have ceased operations entirely.
The paper reveals an organic interlinkage between sectoral gaps. The impact of destruction has extended beyond the medical sphere to disrupt the education of approximately 608,000 students, including more than 21,000 students with disabilities, in a context where 95 % accessibility standards and reasonable accommodation. This is particularly critical given that 83 % of persons with disabilities lost their assistive devices during displacement, and rejection of entering the assistive devices from the occupation forces rendering both physical and educational access to learning nearly impossible. This occurs alongside a hostile built environment marked by the destruction of 70 % of buildings and the widespread presence of debris, transforming the urban landscape into a barrier to independence and safe mobility, while exacerbating social isolation and cumulative psychological distress.
At the economic and social levels, the paper analyses the comprehensive erosion of household resilience. The economy has contracted by 83 %, and unemployment has reached 80 %, rendering the cost of disability an exhausting burden on households that are increasingly prioritizing expensive medical needs over other basic living requirements. The paper critically examines the current social protection model, which relies on the household as the primary unit of targeting, thereby excluding independent or unmarried persons with disabilities. It calls for comprehensive legislative reform, including amendments to labour law and the enforcement of the 5 % employment quota in line with the significant increase in the number of persons injured. Attention is given to women with disabilities, who face intersecting forms of discrimination due to the collapse of justice systems and the loss of official documentation, depriving them of rights related to custody, inheritance, and guardianship.
